NC State quarterback Grayson McCall announced Wednesday his retirement from football amid concussion issues.
“As you all know I have battled injuries my whole career, but this is one that I cannot come back from,” McCall said in an Instagram post. “I have done everything I can to continue, but this is where the good Lord has called me to serve in a different space. Brain specialists, my family, and I have come to the conclusion that it is in my best interest to hang the cleats up.”
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McCall has not played since Oct. 5 against Wake Forest, when he took a big hit, was stretchered off the field and taken to the hospital. McCall also battled concussion issues as Coastal Carolina’s quarterback from 2019 to 2023.
He led Coastal to 31 wins from 2020 through 2022, including an 11-1 record and top-15 finish in 2020, earning Sun Belt Player of the Year honors three times. McCall in 2021 set the FBS record for passing efficiency, a mark that was broken last year by Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels.
McCall said this offseason that he’d considered retirement from football due to concussions but wanted to finish out his college career and make an impact at NC State. He wrote Wednesday that he hopes to move into coaching.
“As I feel like my whole world is being taken from me, I feel some sense of contentment,” he wrote. “Every time my feet hit the grass, I left every single ounce of myself on that field. I always played my hardest and to the best of my ability because I never knew what play would be my last. I have no regrets throughout my career and that is something I can be proud of. I want to use this time to show my appreciation to everyone who has been along for the ride.
“To my family, friends, teammates, fans and all the coaches who have poured into me over the years, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Without you all, none of this would have ever been possible.”
Required reading
- The Grayson McCall fan club: Getting to know Coastal Carolina’s electric and efficient QB
(Photo: Nicholas Faulkner / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
